February 4, 2019
Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise Him for the splendor of His holiness as they went out at the head of the army…as they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men…who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. 2 Chronicles 20:21-22
While praying with my two daughters following my fifth chemo treatment, God seemed to indicate He had healed me. Cleansed me. Removed cancer from me. I pondered in my heart what I believe He had said. The numbers from my blood draw before the sixth treatment were all remarkably good. So after my sixth treatment, I began questioning whether or not I should continue chemo if, in fact, I was already healed. The weakness and weariness have been debilitating. The side-effects have been daunting. I did not want to continue treatments if they were unnecessary. One morning I decided to pray specifically, asking God to confirm from His Word whether or not I was to continue chemo treatments if I was already healed. Two hours later, my daughter, Rachel-Ruth, came to sit with me. She shared some of her insights from 2 Kings 5 that she was to teach her Bible class that week. She related the story of the Syrian general, Naaman, who had leprosy. A little Israelite slave girl told Naaman about Elisha, a man of God, who could heal him. When Naaman sought Elisha, he was told, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan…and you will be cleansed.” (2 Kings 5:10) Naaman resisted, saying that Syria had better rivers than the Jordan. He did not want to submit himself to the “side effects” of muck and mud. But at his servant’s urging, Naaman did dip in the Jordan. When he came up the seventh time, he was healed! The seventh time! And I could hear the clear whisper of the Spirit, answering my prayer, confirming that I was to continue chemo…my next and last full treatment would be my seventh time! So as much as I resist the “muck and mud”, in obedience to God’s leading to complete the seventh infusion on February 14, I am committed to seeing these treatments through to the end.
So if you, too, are facing a giant of unbelief, or cancer, or fear, or depression, or despair, or failure, join me in raising hallelujah in the face of the enemy…
